Minutes | Meeting of the Technical Committee of the Board (BTC) | 23 November 2022

Board Member and Liaison Attendees: Avri Doria (Chair), Alan Barrett, Edmon Chung, James Galvin, Christian Kaufmann, Harald Alvestrand, Wes Hardaker, and Patricio Poblete

Other Board Members and Liaisons Present: Manal Ismail

ICANN Organization Attendees: Adiel Akplogan (Vice President for Technical Engagement), Jennifer Bryce (Project Manager), Franco Carrasco (Board Operations Specialist), , Kinga Kowalcyzk (Administrative Assistant), Matt Larson (VP, Research), Wendy Profit (Board Operations Senior Manager), and Sarah Zagha (Counsel)

The following is a summary of discussions, actions taken, and actions identified:

1. BTC Update Session with the Name Collision Analysis Project (NCAP) DG Admin Co-Chairs: Progress on Study 2 – The Committee received an update on the NCAP work from James Galvin, who announced that he had stepped down as co-chair of the NCAP Working Party. He noted that Study 2 is progressing well and that he continues to be a part of the writing small team for Study 2. He also suggested that the Committee be given a deep dive presentation on the recommendations within the Initial Draft of the Study, once the draft is completed and put before the Discussion Group during the first quarter of 2023. This suggestion was supported by the Chair. It was also noted that Study 2 will come in the form of SSAC Advice.

   • Action Item:

     • A deep dive presentation for the Committee of the Initial Draft of Study 2 to be scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.

2. Approval of Pending Committee Meeting's Report – There were no pending meeting reports to approve.

3. Action Items Review – The Chair established the agenda for the meeting. There were no previous items pending action.

4. Annual BTC Charter Review – The Chair led the Committee in its annual review of its Charter, and opened the discussion as to whether the Section II (Scope of Responsibilities) and Section VII (Succession Plan) were current and comprehensive. It was noted that language within Section II, paragraph H, contains ambiguity regarding rendering "analysis to the Board on technical issues" (and what it means to provide this analysis) related to maintenance and harmonization that are raised by "other advisory bodies" among other groups (and whether such advisory bodies include caucuses and working groups). It was also noted that Section II, paragraph J, requires the Committee to lead and coordinate the Board's engagement with the Technical Experts Group (TEG), a responsibility that is not currently maintained. Members of the ICANN org staff clarified that the TEG is no longer in existence, and consequently, it was proposed by ICANN org that the language within Section II, paragraph J be amended to read "Technical Liaisons Group" (TLG) instead. Further, there was some discussion among the Committee as to whether Section II, paragraph J should be deleted. Section II, paragraph I regarding "ensur[ing that the] portfolio of technical programs and major projects as identified by the Board or ICANN organization (including community-driven initiatives) are in line with ICANN Strategy and the current updated technical roadmap" was also noted by the Committee as not currently being carried out. Finally highlighted was whether Section II, paragraph K, regarding "provid[ing] guidance on appropriate governance and standards development processes" was currently being carried out.

   • Action Item: The Chair to work with volunteers Alan Barrett, Wes Hardaker, and Harald Alvestrand on continuing the discussion and possible revisions of the Committee Charter.

5. BTC Work Plan for 2023 – ICANN org briefly summarized the content of the Committee Work Plan. It was noted that scope of the Committee's responsibility is discussed within the Work Plan and is separated into three categories: (i) technical oversight; (ii) community engagement; (iii) strategic and forward thinking. It was reported that the Work Plan examines how the Committee addresses issues related to these categories and outlines the meeting cadence in which these topics will be discussed. ICANN org invited the Committee to review the work plan and provide org staff with any needed adjustments.

   • Action Item: The Committee to review its Work Plan for 2023, which includes alignment with a revised charter if needed, and send ICANN org any comments for adjustment, if applicable.

6. Discussion on Blockchain Based Naming Service – The Committee opened its discussion on blockchain based naming service by highlighting the importance of continued discussions about blockchain technology, both in terms of its technical compatibilities and its influence. It was raised and agreed that the topic should be broaden to touch on alternative naming systems in general, with attention to technical perspective on the potential conflicts with interoperability between naming systems that may conflict with ICANN's naming system, as well as the potential ramifications on the Root Server System (RSS). Additionally, there was interest in the investigation of possible business models for name services that don't run through ICANN. The relevance and significance of Committee discussions regarding the topics of distributed ledger technology, DNS competition, DNS replacements, and user confusion was also raised.

   • Action Items:

     • The Chair to work with volunteers Edmon Chung, Jim Galvin, and Wes Hardaker on outlining the topics associated with this agenda item, in order of progression, which will be used to set the agenda of future Committee meetings.

     • ICANN org to maintain this item on the agenda for continued discussion.

7. Priority Project Updates – The Committee received an update on the following projects:

   • Domain Name System Security Facilitation Initiative Technical Study Group (DSFI-TSG) Report - Implementation Update: ICANN org members reported that the DSFI-TSG Report has been completed, approved, and will be announced soon.

   • Root Server System Governance Working Group (RSS GWG) 037/038 Implementation: It was reported that the RSS GWG welcomed the new liaison and alternate liaison - Christian Kaufmann and Edmon Chung, respectively. It was also noted that the GWG is currently preparing for a workshop in Washington, D.C., from 06 - 08 December 2022. The workshop will comprise of three categories of topics: (i) the designation and removal of root server operators; (ii) financing for the root server system; (iii) the separation and balance of powers in the model. Finally, it was reported that regular reports from the RSS GWG to the BTC will resume shortly.

8. Updates from Technical Liaisons – The Committee received an update from the following Board Technical Liaisons:

   • SSAC (James Galvin): The Committee was first given a recap of the discussions that took place during the SSAC's annual in-person workshop, which occurred in October 2022. It was reported that discussion about what consensus means in SSAC and its relationship with the Board and community in general took place. In addition to discussing the annual workshop, the Committee was given a general introduction and update on the SSAC's work parties. It was noted that the SSAC has a NCAP Work Party, which is distinct from the NCAP Discussion Group, that conducts direct technical work. The Work Party on the Evolution DNS Resolution currently has a draft document, which addresses user confusion as well as consolidation and aggregation within the resolution marketplace. The Work Party on DNSSEC DS Automation explores issues related to automation and the advancement of DNSSEC. Finally, the Work Party on Registrar Name Management was introduced and its work on analyzing registrar behavior when managing DNS glue records was discussed.
   • RSSAC (Wes Hardaker): It was noted that RSSAC 000v7 was recently published. The Committee was given summaries of the work underway to update RSSAC 001 (which concerns the service expectation of root servers) and RSSAC 002 (which concerns the measurement of the root server system). It was reported that the RSSAC Caucus will be meeting in IETF 116 in Yokohama, Japan. It was also noted that the RSSAC participated in the ICANN DNS Symposium and gave a presentation about the benefits relating to the independence of the RSOs from a service standpoint. Finally, the Committee was informed that the RSSAC is beginning to develop a list of published research papers that are related to the RSS, to be easily accessed and referenced.

   • IETF (Harald Alvestrand): It was reported that a discussion between the IETF and the IAB took place regarding the .ALT domain. It was also noted that the European Commission (EC) is imposing fines on tech platforms in order to advance messaging interoperability.

9. Any Other Business –

   • Tracking of SSAC 113 Implementation: It was suggested that the Committee should track the state of SSAC 113 implementation as part of its priority project updates.

     • Action Items:

       • SSAC 113 implementation to be tracked as a Priority Project Update item going forward.

   • Input on BGC Questionnaire: The Chair noted that she is responding, on behalf of the Committee, to the questionnaire issued by Governance Committee of the Board (BCG) on Committee/WG/Caucus Leadership and welcomes review and commentary from the Committee.

The Chair called the meeting to a close.